The Opium Wars
I.
A collision of cultures
A.
As much as China had always tried to keep “barbarians” (a.k.a. anyone
not Chinese) at bay, eventually it proved an impossible task.
B.
Why, you might ask?!? Because China had something that everyone
wanted!
1.
II.
Spices, Tea, Porcelain
SILK . . . the most important commodity
According to Chinese legend, back in 2500 BC the Empress Si Lingji, wife of the Yellow
emperor Huang Dim first discovered how the cocoons of the mulberry silk moth
could be woven into a luxurious fabric. For the next 3,000 years, the craft
remained a state secret, protected by the threat of execution for anyone who
whispered a word outside the imperial shops.
A.
It was sensationally popular with the Greeks and Romans . . . who literally
pay its weight in gold
B.
Its demand created Silk Road
(1)
(2)
(3)
C.
4000 miles
Stretching through plains, mountains, and deserts
The journey took years . . . and only the fortunate survived.
During the middle ages, emperors would get so fed up with the western
Barbarians, they would close the route for decades at a time.
D.
In 1295 Marco Polo makes his famous trip
E.
By the 1500’s Europeans ships were making the dangerous voyage
bringing the best they had to offer from Europe to trade for silk
F.
The Chinese weren’t impressed with the wares. . . they only liked gold,
silver, and Arabian Horses
G.
By 1750 the Chinese emperors were once again fed up with the
Barbarians.
1.
They were worried that the Barbarian’s strange ways would
influence the local folk
2.
The Manchu Emperor Qianlong confines all foreign grade to two
seaports.
3.
Western nations were dismayed! How would they get their
goodies?
4.
The emperor replies, “China already possessed all things in prolific
abundance.”
III.
How the Barbarians got what they wanted
A.
The great demand for Chinese products with little demand from China for
European products threw the trade balance out of whack
B.
Silver poured into China to the point where there was a shortage hard
currency in Europe and America
C.
But Britain found a way to turn the table . . . NARCOTICS!
D.
Britain had taken India as one of their colonies . . . India had lots and lots
of poppy fields
E.
So . . . he have a highly addictive drug at our disposal . . . and we want
China’s goodies!
F.
So Queen Victoria . . . the original proper snob . . . looks the other way to
opium sales in China
IV.
Opium in China
A.
They had known about it for centuries, but it was hard to get
B.
Hard to get=it cost a lot . . . only the rich smoked for pleasure
C.
But now Britain was selling tons at slashed prices
D.
For a few cents, any poor slob could buy a pipe full to forget his
backbreaking job
E.
Soon all the working class became depressed, lethargic, and craving
another pipe
F.
V.
Now the silver was going out of China faster than they were bringing it in
Chinese Government’s response
A.
They realized the economy was going belly up, not to mention that a large
part of the Chinese population was turning into zombies
B.
Drug dealers were publicly executed
C.
Addicts were publicly whipped, or worse, sentenced to years in the cane
D.
Still, British traders were getting stinking rich from their illegal business.
E.
Finally, in 1839, Chinese troops seized and destroyed a huge shipment of
opium.
VI.
Events leading up to the Opium War
A.
East India Company, really a British company, had set up a monopoly of
trade in opium into China
B.
About 1400 tons a year were getting into China
C.
The Manchu Emperor, Daoguang, demanded a permanment halt of these
shipments.
1.
He was born in the Forbidden City in 1872.
2.
Inherited a declining empire, with the West pounding on China’s
doors wanting their goodies.
3.
He inherited with “opium problem”
4.
His response was to put a commissioner names Lin Zexu in charge
to stop it
D.
Lin Zexu, tough guy, almost ends the trade
1.
He’s the one that ordered the death of all drug dealers and pilloring
of users
2.
He confiscated nearly a year’s worth of opium imports and dumped
it into the sea.
3.
He then demanded that British merchants had to sign a bond
promsing not to deal in opium under penalty of death.
4.
The British government offically opposed this
5.
But some British merchants signed it . . . the ones that weren’t
dealing in opium.
6.
Lin Zexu still believed that the British government had some sense
of morality, and questions Queen Victoria on how she could sell
such harmful drugs in China when it was illegal in Britain.
7.
VII.
She ignored him, and accused him of destroying British property.
The First Opium War 1840
A.
They then responded by sending a large British Indian army and British
warships
B.
The Chinese military was antiquated and poorly equipped.
C.
The British were with it . . . modern muskets and cannons
D.
The took the city of Canton, and sailed up the Yangtze River grapping all
the ports to keep the “taxes” they were collecting
E.
This davastated the emperors tax revenues
F.
China gets their rears kicked . . . more importantly “humiliated and had a
huge loss of honor.
G.
Emperor Daoguang furious, cans Lin Zexu . . . a REALLY stupid mistake .
. . he’s the only one who was with it.
VIII.
Britain’s harsh terms
A.
China signs Treaty of Nanking.
1.
Forced to pay lots of cash in penalties
2.
Forced to open five ports to opium trade
3.
Forced to “lease” Hong Kong to Britain for 160 years
4.
Gave Britain granted Extraterritoriality priviledges
a)
The port cities they took were little mini extensions of
Britain
b)
There, the British didn’t have to abide by Chinese Laws,
but the Chinese had to abide by the British laws
5.
The rest of the world’s reactions . . . the U.S. and France want
Extraterritoriality too!
IX.
The Second Opium War
I.
II.
Emperor Danguang died . . . now Emperor Xianfeng on throne
A.
He was young and naïve
B.
Very conservative . . . China should stick to their “old ways
C.
Greatly influenced by his concubine, CiXi
Extraterritoriality was causing tensings between
A.
Britain and China—British laws allowing Chinese to smuggle
opium . . . Chinese laws busting the smugglers
French and China—the French started a few battles on the coast
near Tientsin.
III.
This lead French and British to try and force the Emperor to sign the
Treaty of Tientsin.
A.
The emperor, under the influence of CiXi, believed in Chinese
superiority and would not agree to it.
B.
France and Britain mad . . . loot and burn the Imperial Summer
Palace of the Forbidden City.
C.
The emperor and CiXi flee dressed as peasants . . . it’s the first
time they saw the suffering of the “average Chinese”
D.
The Treaty of Tientsin has to be signed, legalizing the sell of
opium in all of China.
E.
Shortly after that, Emperor Zianfeng dies.
F.
CiXi, no fool to power, manipulates the selection of her young son
as the next “mandate to heaven” and becomes a Dowager
Empresses . . . she will rule in his place until he’s old enough to do
it own his own.
Queen Victoria—Priggish Drug Cartel
(29 points)
Will you be able to answer these on your next test? Check it out. Fill in all the answers
you can without using your notes.
 Then check your notes to see if you were right.
 Now put a check or star by all the ones you got right. Pat yourself on the back
and say, “Good show sport!”
 If you got at least ½ right, stand and announce to the world that You ARE TO a
genius!
 Now use your notes to fill in what you couldn’t remember.
 Bring to class tomorrow to correct
 And pray tell, do save this as a study sheet!
1. Who did the Chinese consider to be barbarians? (1 point)
2. Why was it impossible to keep barbarians out of China? (1 point)
3. Of all of China’s goodies, what was the most coveted by outsiders? (1 point)
4. How much were Romans and Greeks willing to pay for this coveted product? (1
point)
5. How long is the Silk Road? (1 point)
6. Why did emperors close the Silk Road from time to time? (1 point)
7. In what year did Marco Polo make his famous trip on the Silk Road? (1 point)
8. About what time did ships begin to sail to China for goodies? (1 point)
9. There were only three things that the Chinese were interested in from Europe. What
were they? (3 points)
10. In 1750 the Chinese emperors were once again fed up with “Western Barbarians”.
What did the emperors do to reduce their influence in China? (1 point)
11. Trade between Europe and China were out of whack at this time—explain how
Europe and China were affected as a result. (2 points)
12. What product did Britain begin selling in China that turned the scale? (1 point)
13. Where did they get this product? (1 point)
14. What was its affect in the Chinese people? (1 point)
15. What was its affect on the Chinese economy? (1 point)
16. What was the Chinese government’s response to those dealing or buying this product?
(2 points)
17. What happened that got Britain so mad that they sent a powerful fleet to punish
China? (1 point)
18. Why was it so easy for the British to win this battle? (1 point)
19. Name three harsh terms that the British imposed on China as a result of winning this
battle. (3 points)
20. What was the rest of the world’s reaction? (1 point)
21. Define extraterritoriality. (1 points)
How did extra-territoriality affect British and Chinese citizens? (2 points)